Bob Marley. A name synonymous with music. His songs as iconic as they get and his legacy one that lives on through them. His story is one fit for a biopic and that's what Reinaldo Marcus Green delivers with Bob Marley: One Love.
The story of how reggae icon Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) overcame adversity, and the journey behind his revolutionary music.
They certainly made a smart choice in deciding to focus on a major part of Bob Marley's life/career, instead of showing us his entire life from childhood right through the end. It stops the film from becoming an overlong slog to sit through, taking more time to hone in on Marley's role in unifying Jamaica, as well as his untimely death at such a young age. That being said, it all feels a little surface level and never threatens to really dig deep into the character, leaving you feeling a bit underwhelmed as the credits start to roll.
The use of Marley's music is an obvious one but it feels as if it does a better job of telling the story than the writing from Terence Winter and Frank E. Flowers. It's not a challenging watch at all, the surface level nature to it all sadly making it all come across a little bland in all honesty.
There's no denying though that the film features a stellar lead performance from Kingsley Ben-Adir, who dives into the role with respect and care. It's a shame the material he's given isn't great and it ends up feeling more like an impersonation as a result. Ben-Adir lights up the screen with his performance as Marley and is joined by a strong Lashana Lynch as his wife, Rita. Lynch seems to be going strength to strength these days and it's great to see her deliver yet another fine performance. Sadly, there just isn't anyone else who really stands out from the rest of the supporting cast.
It's great to see Bob Marley's legacy brought to life on the big screen, even if Bob Marley: One Love doesn't take the chance to truly shine. It really should have just been called One Love because it's a song you just instantly associate with Marley himself.
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